Asus ROG STRIX z390-h or Gigabyte Aorus z390 Pro Mobo?

[Miska]

How about something like this:

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z390-DESIGNARE-rev-10#kf

It has DAC-UP 2 USB ports. The Aorus Z390 Pro doesn't seem to have...

 

 

 

Recently I've been more happy with Gigabyte than with ASUS. I've for example managed to brick ASUS motherboard with BIOS update. And some ASUS motherboards are still lacking fixes for well known security bugs. Gigabyte has been releasing security update BIOS even for somewhat older boards.

 

Overall, I've been long time ASUS user, but was put off by their BIOS releases.

 

[Miska]

Perhaps I use the hardware different way. I'm not into overclocking or other tweaking, I just want something that works exactly within the specs 24/7/365 without issues. For me, reliability and consistency is more important than last percentage of speed.

 

That's why my primary computer is a "boring" Xeon E5 workstation with ECC RAM and completely zero tweaks available through BIOS. But it has things like next business day on-site warranty.

 

[Miska]

Just now, rickca said:

@tboooe have a look at ASRock Z370 Taichi it also has dual Intel gigabit LAN.  I also like their new Z390 Phantom Gaming series.

I think ASRock competes with either of the boards you like.

 

I have some ASRock industrial range computers:

https://www.asrockind.com/index.us.asp

 

Other than that, actually bricked ASUS motherboard for AMD Ryzen 7 was replaced with ASRock one. Cannot say their BIOS support would be better than ASUS. But at least it seems safer. Gigabyte has dual-BIOS, so the old is always there as backup copy if something goes wrong.

 

ASRock doesn't seem to have special USB connectors for audio though?

 

[Miska]

Actually, I have no problem with my 6950X + GTX1080 machine in the listening room, although it is fan cooled. It is so quiet that there's really no sound to be heard at listening position.

 

[Miska]

22 hours ago, rickca said:

Right.  I think that is a Gigabyte exclusive feature.  But I don't think it's important if you use something like an ISO REGEN.

 

Maybe, but I don't use such devices. I connect DACs either straight to the HQPlayer computer or to a NAA...

 

[Miska]

8 hours ago, Em2016 said:

I know it's a very bad example but I first started with HQPe running on my i7-7700HQ laptop and you're description somewhere else, of it sounding like a vacuum cleaner was dead right.

 

I've been obsessed with fanless ever since that experience but without ever trying a quiet fan cooled machine. Obviously such machines do exist, like you have. I would need to hear one myself before committing funds though because I still have mental scars from the vacuum cleaner laptop.

 

Yes, small fans in small crammed spaces -> fans run at high RPM -> lot of noise. That is like NUC or Mac Mini too.

 

For quiet operation you need to have large slowly rotating fans and large air vents. For cooling number of liters of air per minute is what matters. If that goes through small places it needs to have higher velocity which creates noise.

 

In addition, the case I'm using has factory installed sound proofing. But that's also something you don't find in small tightly packed computers.